Accordience & TRACCS Forge Strategic Partnership

(MENAFN- PRovoke) LONDON - Accordience, the parent company of global agency brands Grayling, Citigate Dewe Rogerson, Cirkle, Red Consultancy and new social media agency Movement, has formed a global strategic partnership with TRACCS, the largest independent, home-grown communications consultancy in the Middle East.

Accordience and TRACCS said the partnership was in response to growing demand from businesses and organisations for seamless local, regional and global communications delivered through a single, integrated team. The partners will be targeting global brands looking to make an impact in the Middle East, as well as MENA-based companies looking to expand internationally.

The joint offer to clients and new business targets will cover brand communications, corporate and public affairs, financial communications, and digital and social media strategies. The partnership will serve clients across various sectors including financial services, retail, FMCG, sport, energy, technology and infrastructure.

Accordience group CEO Sarah Scholefield told PRovoke Media the partnership was“a powerful alliance,” saying:“We're always on the lookout for strong strategic partnerships in parts of the world where we have lighter representation.

“The Middle East has been in our thoughts for a while, and we wanted a partner who feels like a real extension of Accordience, proudly independent, well represented across the region, and – most important – who really shares our values and who we are culturally as a business. It was clear early on that this was a marriage made in heaven, with a shared vision and a similar approach.”

Scholefield said it became clear after working together on the 30-market campaign for the Global AI Summit in Riyadh in September that there was synergy between the two entities:“We're not like two different groups: there is local expertise, knowledge and understanding, with our people working in a joined up global way. A partnership can sound great on paper, but the reality is, can you work together? We're doing brilliant work together.”

TRACCS chief executive Mohamed Al Ayed told PRovoke Media:“It was the right time, for the right reasons and the right set of commitments. We've been doing this for 27 years and the teams just connected, with stunning results. We've always had ambitions to be a global player, but we didn't have a partner. It's exciting times.

“We are already pitching together but the way we're looking at it, we're both fanatical about quality. We have a hub and centres of excellence across the region, and we are now able to activate Accordience's global markets.”

He added that the partnership was more than just a business affiliation:“It is a commitment that positively impacts our combined portfolio of clients, our teams, and the communications ecosystem as a whole. Together, we have the passion, dedication, and know-how to deliver multi-stakeholder and multi-market communications programs that hit the mark.”

Accordience has a team of more than 800 across 37 owned offices and 54 affiliate locations worldwide, with clients across its agency brands including Visa, Amazon, HSBC, Heineken, AkzoNobel, Nissan, Microsoft, Mondelez, Sony, McDonalds, Tetra Pak and Emirates. The group had global fee income of around $104 million in 2023, according to the PRovoke Media Global Top 250 agency rankings.

Headquartered in Saudi Arabia, TRACCS is the largest independent agency in the region, with more 200 professionals working across 11 countries, including what it claims is the largest pool of Arabic-speaking communications professionals globally.

TRACCS is the only MENA-based agency in PRovoke Media's Global Top 250, with 2023 fee income of $15.8 million, and its clients include American Express, DHL, Gulf Mercantile Exchange, Jeddah Historical District, Pfizer, Roche and Toyota.

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